the thoughts that run through my head

My Work, My Passion…

by jennisjargon on April 21, 2016

I mentioned in my last post that I work for a local Nonprofit in Denver. This is the truth and has been for more than 15 years now. I started my career in the corporate world and could have stayed on that track to climb the corporate ladder and make a ton of money. However, once I got a job (after being laid off in the corporate world) in the nonprofit world I quickly found that this type of work suites me to a tee.

I began this work at a Hospice. I got the job because my mom was a nurse there and they needed a person to run their front desk in their care center. I was a good match, dependable, organized and really didn’t take shit from the nurses who tried to dish it out. I loved that job, I loved working with so many people and there was never the same people there each day, sometimes even from morning to afternoon. This kept my job interesting. I got to know a lot of the patient’s families, not so much the patient. We bonded over their loved one’s impending death and I often cried with them once that journey was complete. After 5 years of working in the Care Center for this Hospice, I moved over to the fundraising department and learned a new portion of the nonprofit world.

Even more than just loving working at a nonprofit, I love the laid back atmosphere that nonprofit provides. Now, we are still professionals but since we don’t make millions, we have a few extra perks and one of those is typically a more laid back work environment. We like to have a lot of fun while working hard. Typically you are doing many jobs squished into one and that is something you just have to accept when working in these field.

Currently I work at an agency who helps the kids who need it the most. Many of our kids have been victims of abuse and neglect. I made the move to this agency because kids are where my heart is. I have always loved working with kids and enjoy the world through their eyes. I love that our agency tries its best to help the kids in our care heal and get back to just being a kid! If you want to learn more about my agency please visit Tennyson Center for Children’s website.

Another way I try to impact the world around me is to volunteer. When Ethan turned 4, I made it a priority in my world. I needed to have something else that was an identifier of me and for the previous four years that had been mommy. Now, I don’t have a lot of financial resources but I do have some time I can give back. I started volunteering at The Children’s Hospital Colorado and I have not looked back. It has been more than 5 years and I have made some wonderful friends. Met some incredible kids and their families. Cried while I held a baby that had cancer. Smiled when I finally got a baby to sleep. I have to say that people, including myself, often start volunteering to make a change in the world, and really it makes a change in you. It becomes part of your soul.

Now really, I am not posting this to toot my own horn. There are many people out there that would say I am not this loving, kind, philanthropic person that is being portrayed in this post. They are right. I am not always this person, I have to work very hard to be this person. I am naturally kind of a bitch…shh…don’t tell anyone. But I do know that coming to work each day and seeing the kids smile or going to volunteer and know that I am helping a child and having parents thank me for being there while they go eat a meal, it fills my kind cup and makes me a much better person.

I encourage everyone who reads this post to take a step back and see where you can make a difference in this world. If you have time, treasure or talent to share with others, find your passion and share it. At the end of the day you will feel good for helping and you will fill your cup for your own spirit. Be the change in the world you want to see and spread kindness all around!